Aug. 2, 2013

Written by

The Associated Press

MADISON – Gov. Scott Walker is seeking federal disaster aid for 11 Wisconsin counties and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa after June flooding caused more than $9.2 million in damage to roads and infrastructure.

Walker’s office said in a Friday news release that he had asked for federal aid to help local governments. Money from the Public Assistance Program would cover some of the costs of fighting the floods, removing debris and repairing roads and other infrastructure.

The program is not for businesses or homeowners. Walker’s office says the level of damage they suffered doesn’t meet the requirements for federal aid.

Some parts of Wisconsin received more than a foot of rain from June 20 to 28, and areas with heavy rainfall saw flash flooding and mudslides.

Lobbying spending by public unions drops sharply

MADISON – Spending on lobbying by the state public employee unions has dropped dramatically in the last two years.

Preliminary lobbying figures from the Government Accountability Board show business groups now hold the lead in spending.

The state’s largest teacher’s union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, spent about $2 million on lobbying in the first six months of 2011, but just $84,000 in the first six months of this year. The council had been near the top on spending over the past four years. Its lobbying efforts kicked into high gear when labor leaders, in 2011, tried to block Act 10, the law that stripped most public employees of collective bargaining power.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1aZ5XBT ) says the top lobbying group for the first half of this year is the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance, which spent $357,000.